Dog spindle assembly



Sept. 9, 1952 F. M. LAMBERT DOG SPINDLE. ASSEMBLY Filed March '7, 1946 W 5 i M s a N W F UNITE-D STATE Patented Sept. 9, 1952 DOG SPINDLE ASSET/IBEX Francis M. Lambert, NarberthQPa assignor to Heintz Manufacturing Company, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Philadelphia,

Application March 7, 1946, Serial No. 652,613

4 Claims. (01. 292-196).

invention relates to a dog spindle asse bly for doors, and more particularly to an adjustable latch assembly for retaining ships bulkhead doors or hatch covers in closed condition. In the mass production of bulkhead doors and hatch covers for ships, such closures are conveniently made of sheet metal by stamping or other means forproducing the closures in quantity. In fitting closures made by such large quantity production methods to the door frames with which they are to be used, it is often found that considerable individual fitting of the door-latches is necessary in order to ensure a suitable fit. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a latch which is adjustableto the varying types of fits encountered in assembling mass produced closures to similarly produced closure frames.

-It is also desirable to have a latch which may be used with a variety of types of closures so that a single type of latch can be produced which can be adjusted during installation .to the particular type of door with which it is used.

In adjustable latches previously devised, it was necessary to disassemble the latch completely to insert a different size of washer every time an adjustment was made in the tightness of the closure. Inasmuch asthe correct fit could be achieved only by trial and error, considerable time was needed for trying the various sizes of washers.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide alatch which is quickly adjustable to permit'its use with a variety of types of doors and which may be adjusted during or after installation to provide the particular type and tightness of fit desired without disassembly at the time of each'adjustment.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable latch which is simple to install and which maybe easily disassembled and removed for replacement of parts after installation.

Another object of the invention is to produce an adjustable latch for mounting on a door frame.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable latch having novel means for adjustably retaining a latch member on a rotatable spindle.

A further object of the invention to provide an adjustable door latch which is rugged, simple in construction, [and which is readily produced in large quantity.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1- isa longitudinal sectional view through one embodiment of the new latch;

Fig. 2 is :a cross-sectional view taken online "2 2 of Fig. 1;

iFig. 3 is an end elevational view of the outer end of the spindle and nut taken from the outside of the door and frame.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in-the drawings, there is shown a door ll) preferably of sheet metal'construction and carrying a gasket I l of resilient material such as rubber extending around the edge of the door. The-door ill is mounted by suitable hinges (not shown) on a door frame I2 which has a flange i3 adapted to contact the gasket H to provide a watertight seal when the door is latched shut. The door frame I2 is suitably attached to a bulkhead, a portion of which is shown at M.

While it is to be understood that the latch may be mounted on the door or the door frame, I have shown the latch mounted on the door frame l2 and cooperating with a cam surface E5 on the door. i

A tubular housing I! having a threaded opening [8 in its side wall is positioned in an opening in the door frame and is fixed thereto by welding or other suitable means. The housing ll is provided near its inside end with a tightly fitting flanged brass collar 20 adjacent which is an annular packing 2| of cork or the like. Packing 2| is maintained in place by a brass sleeve 22 which has an opening 23 in its side wall aligned with the opening l8 in the housing ll. A suitable externally threaded greasing fitting 24 is threaded into opening I'B so as to extend into opening 23 to provide a means forsupplying lubrication to the interior of the housing 11 without the necessity for disassembling the entire latch assembly;

Around steel spindle 30 having its extreme end portions 30a and 30b of reduced diameter extends through the housing I! and fits snugly but movably within the interiors of collar 20, packing 2|, and sleeve 22; A helical spring 32 is mounted about the spindle within housing I? so that one end of the spring bears against the end of sleeve 22. The other end of the spring bears against a sleeve 33 which fits snug-1y about the spindle and within housing I! but is loose enough to be removable from both the spindle and the housing I! by hand.

A portion of the outer end of the spindle is provided with two diametrically opposite flat sur faces 35 (see Fig. 2) and a latch dog 31 of manganese bronze having in one end an internal opening 38 matching the configuration of the of the latch along the spindle in-anaxial direction an ingeniouslock nut arrangement is provided. The reduced end. 30!). of thespindle 1's externally threaded andis provided. with an 3 axial opening 48 which is tapered and threaded at its outer end portion 4| to receive a tapered and threaded high tensile strength bronze pipe plug 42. The plug 42 has a hexagonal axial opening 43 to receive an Allen type wrenchfor insertion and removal of the plug. The end portion 38b of saw cuts 45 spaced 90 apart. A brass nut 46 .is screwed onto the spindle portion b and may be secured in any desired position by suitably tightening plug 4| to expand the split end portion of the spindle. The nut d6 thus defines the limit of movement of latchdog 3'! on the spindle in the outward axial direction toward which the dog 31 is urgedby Spring 32. Needless to say, other types of lock nuts may be used in place of the nut assembly described. For example, lock nuts held in place by tapered pins, split cotter pins, Boots type aircraft nuts, Lam-son type nuts, or a standard nut which has been partially cut through by a saw positioned transversely to the axis of the threaded opening in thenut.

The inner reduced end portion 39a of the spindle receives one end of an operating arm 59 which may be conveniently welded thereon. The

. operating arm is attached at its other end .to a

linkage system 51 which comprises means for operating a plurality of latches at one time by actuation of an operating-handle (not shown).

When the latch is assembled, a portion of the surface of operating arm 50 is in contact with flanged collar 20 and prevents outward axial movement of the spindle 3t.

Assembly of the latch mechanism-15a simple matter. door frame [2, spindle fill is inserted V therein from the inside of the frame with pipe plug 42 removed from or loosely inserted in the spindle, and with the nut 46 removed. Spring 32 is. slid into position from the outside of the door followed by sleeve 33 andlatch dog 3lafter which nut :35 is threaded onto portion-3611016 the spindle. The nut 46 is then adjusted to position latch member 31 at the. desired position and plug t2 is tightened by means of an Allentype wrench to expand the extreme outside end portion of the spindle and thereby lock nut 36 in theposition selected. When it is desiredto change the position of latch member 31, plug 52 is loosened and nut is screwed further on or off the spindle to the desired position, and is then againloclred in place by tightening plug A2.

The latch mechanism described herein has been used with considerable success and proved to be a considerable advance over prior art devices not employing this combination of elements, particularly the adjustable lock nut and spring. 7

It is to be understood that'I have described only a preferred embodiment of the invention. The

invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and it is intended to cover all such modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims. I

I claim:

1. A latch for maintaininga doormember and a door frame member in conjoint;relationship, comprising atubular housing adapted'toextend transversely through one of said members, a spindle rotatably. mounted within said housing, means for rotating said spindle, latch means slidably mounted on and rotatable with said spindle for engaging the other ;of said members, means :axially adjustable on said spindle .for. retaining said latch means on said spindle, means for lock- Aiter housing l'l is mounted on the the spindle is also provided with 4 ing said retaining means in any one of a plurality of positions to retain said latchin any one of a plurality of axial positions and resilient means urging said latch means in the direction of saidlast-mentioned means.

.2. A latch for maintaining a door member and a door frame member in conjoint relationship, comprising a tubular housing adapted to extend transversely through one of said members, a

spindle 'rotatablymounted within said housing, means secured to one end of said spindle for'rotating said spindle, latch means mounted near the other end of said spindle and adapted to en- .gage the other of said members, means. mounted on the last-mentioned end of said spindleand axially adjustable thereon for retaining. said latch means on thespindle, means "for locking saidretainingmeans in any one of a plurality of positions to retain said latch in anyone of a plurality of axial positions and ahelical spring mounted on said spindle within said housing for urging said latch means in the direction of said latch retaining means.

'3. A rotatable .doorlatch ofthe type in which a latch dog adapted to be mounted onia door frame is rotatable from a position clear of a door to a position in which it engages a cam surface on the doorto 'force the door tightly against the frame, comprising a tubular housing adapted to extend transversely through the doo'rframe, sealing and bushing means mounted in 'the'jinside end or" thehou-sing, a spindle rotatablycarried by said housing and having 'a reduced and threaded outer end portion, a spring surrounding said spindle within said housing and'having its inner end abutting said bushing means, a sleeve slidably mounted about said spindle. and at least partly Within said housing, the inner end of said sleeve abutting the outer end of said spring, a latch dog slidably 'mountednear the outer end of said spindle and rotatable therewith, said dog being mounted so as to be urged toward the outer end of said spindle by the action of said spring, adjustable .lock nut means carried by the reduced outer end portion of said suspensions CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 472,938 Atherton Apr. 12, 1892 611,743 Stevens 1 .Oct. 4, 1898 1,103,397 Ford Dec. '1, 1915 1,540,451; Wood June 2,1925 1,659,317 Farley Feb. 14, 1928 1,800,804 Nelson Apr. 14,1931 1,878,544 Schmidt Sept; 20 1932 2,050,903 Santore Nov. 17, 1936 2,128,439 Stinson Aug. 30 1938 2,205,345 Cochran June 2511940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number 7 Country nets 862,487 France Dec, 9, 1940 

